Advice from Nina: A Five-Year-Old Heart Warrior’s Perspective

Nina is a spunky five-year-old who has already been through more in her lifetime than most will ever experience. She’s full of sass and her wise advice is on point. Listen to Nina’s advice for kids and parents on their heart journey. She gives me so much hope!

Nina had her first surgery at Dell Children’s in Austin, TX and hit a number of complications: she suffered hemi-diaphragm paralysis and was ventilator-dependent for 2 months; she suffered bilateral vocal cord paralysis and was trach-dependent for 15 months; she could only digest small volumes of breast milk via an NG tube because of poor blood perfusion to her gut thanks to her MAPCAs (major aortopulmonary collateral arteries), and she had multiple cases of “medical NEC” along the way. Nina’s first year or so of life was a real doozy, and she didn’t come home from the hospital until she was 8.5 months old — something we definitely hadn’t planned for. Her last 3 heart surgeries have been out at Stanford Children’s in Palo Alto, CA and she has exceeded all expectations. She loves monkey bars, dinosaurs, acting, karaoke, and sushi. We never dreamed she’d be doing this well, and we’re so thankful that we found the perfect surgical center for her complex cardiac care.